Beatrice Deer – My All To You

Over ten years ago, Beatrice Deer left her hometown of Quaqtaq, QC (population: 376) and moved to Montreal. She set out to achieve three goals: to get more serious about music, to pursue a higher education and make sure her children have more educational options, and to go to therapy. My All to You, Deer’s fifth album and a confident step forward, feels like the culmination of her accomplishments. As Deer writes in a press release, “My All to You is all about owning up. It’s about reconciliation with yourself — which is the hardest thing to do.”(Exclaim!)

Jean-Michel Blais – Dans ma main

While most might categorize Jean-Michel Blais’ instrumental music as “indie classical,” his second album Dans ma main proves that even a sub-genre is too limiting in its description of what the post-classical pianist has achieved. It’s still true that Blais doesn’t allow the confines of traditional classical music to limit his performances, instead opting to explore more complex — and consistently moving — sonic experiments that elevate the whole emotional experience.(CBC Music)

Little Junior – Hi

Toronto’s Little Junior feature four best buds who have been bonding over a shared love of pop punk, with the group kicking out the collective jams together since high school. The band are now ready to release a brand new video for “Pump,” and Exclaim! is pleased to present the premiere.(Exclaim!)

Loreena McKennitt – Lost Souls

Canadian Singer-Songwriter Loreena McKennitt has been dazzling the devotees of a host of musical styles for over thirty years. With her breathtaking synthesis of Celtic, Folk, and World music, the multi-instrumentalist has enthralled fans to the tune of record sales exceeding 14 million units and numerous honors, accolades, and international tours. On Friday, May 11, 2018, she will release Lost Souls, via Quinlan Road, her first full album of original material since 2006’s An Ancient Muse, and her 10th overall studio album.(CrypticRock)

Molly Johnson – Meaning To Tell Ya

Steve Hill – The One-Man Blues Rock Band

Out Friday May 11th, The One-Man Blues Rock Band is the first live album from multi-instrumentalist Steve Hill. The 14-track live recording was captured at La Chapelle, Quebec in November of last year at one of Hill’s headline shows. Punctuated by some impressive support slots, Hill’s headline roadshow has taken the French Canadian virtuoso all over North America, as well as across the Atlantic. And as a frequent visitor to the UK, Hill may be aware of the curious British idiom, “It does exactly what it says on the tin.” Without doubt, that phrase applies to this record. In short, it means there is zero ambiguity about what this album is. It’s blues rock. It’s live. And it all comes courtesy of one man – Steve Hill. Though, just how that’s physically possible is genuinely baffling. Because when opening track, “Rhythm All Over” kicks in, it legitimately sounds as if there is a full three-or-four-piece band backing Hill up.(Rock and Blues Muse)

The Once – Time Enough

This album is for and about the folks we have met along the way who have opened up about how tricky life is and how hard it is to be kind to the reflection in the mirror. It’s about loving with all your might even when it’s hard to feel anything for yourself. It’s about the fear of love mixed with the fear of being forgotten. It’s about knowing we can’t stay here forever and the uncertainty of what that truly means. It’s about the heartache you feel after you dared to love with every ounce of your being, but lost. It’s about rediscovering love and getting really good at love so you can live with no regret. It’s about falling and second-guessing and losing…and then finding a place to just “be” in the moments in between.(Newfoundland Herald)